Hinge assembly



Aug. 16, 1960 D. D. CAMPBELL ET AL HINGE ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledNov. 13, 1956 @kz/gy A TTORNE Y m WH a m. w L 1 'IIIIIIIIIIIJI Aug. 16,1960 D. D. CAMPBELL ETAL HINGE ASSEMBLY Aug. 16, 1960 D. D. CAMPBELLETAL HINGE ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 13, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS.

g Arron/var 1950 D. D. CAMPBILL ET AL 2,948,917

HINGE ASSEMBLY INVENTORS.

ATTORNEY 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 13, 1956 E /fl United States PatentHINGE ASSEMBLY David D. Campbell, Detroit, and Louis P. Garvey,Birmingham, Mich., assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit,Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 13, 1956, Ser. No. 621,589

1 Claim. (Cl. 16-163) This invention relates generally to hingeassemblies and particularly to hinge assemblies for use in connectionwith automotive vehicle body doors although not specifically limitedthereto.

The hinge assembly forming the subject of the present inventioncomprises upper and lower hinge devices which include hinge buttsconnected to the doors for swinging therewith and connected to thevehicle body so that such swinging movement is about a movable pivot orcenter. In this type of hinge devices there is usually a multiplicity oflinks so that if it is desired to further combine with such hingedevices door hold-opens or door assists, there is either not enough roomin the usual hinge box or else the box must be made impractically large.Furthermore, with the use of upper and lower movable center hingedevices, unless such hinge devices are made with extreme precisionandvery painstakingly mounted on both the door and the vehicle body, thereis a tendency for the hinge movements to' interfere with each othercausing binding and generally unsatisfactory swinging of the door. Thisis particularly true when movable center hinge devices are-used withautomotive vehicle doors because ofthe relatively great rigidity orinflexibility of the doors. Furthermore, when movable center hinges areprovided on vehicle doors and an attempt is made to include the usualdoor hold-opens and door assists the result may be a hinge assemblywhichis too wide to be engineered into the door pillars or vehicle bodypanels. It is, there-- fore, an object of the present invention toprovide a hinge assemblywhich utilizes at least two spaced hinge devicesof the movable center type in which only one of the devices isprov'idedwith the necessary links to cause swinging about a movable center-butwherein the other hinge device also swings about a movable center due toa stabilizing member or link extending'between the two hinge devices. y

It is a further object of the inventionto include'inthe stabilized hingedevice the door hold open which ismo're easily combined therein due tothe absence of certain of the links normally required in a movablecenter hinge and whose omission is made possible by the presence of theaforementioned stabilizing member.

Another object of the invention is to provide in combination with such ahinge assembly door assist means.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in one of the doorhinge assemblies adjustable means for limiting closing movement of thedoor.

For a more complete understanding of the above and further objects ofthis invention, reference may be had to the accompanying detaileddescription and drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an automotive vehicle illustrating oneapplication of the hinge assembly between a rear right door and a rearright quarter panel of the vehicle body.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view greatly enlarged taken substantially on theline 2-2 of Fig. 7 with parts shown in section and serves to illustrateone of the links'con fastened at one end thereof to the rear door 8 bythe necting the upper hinge butt to the hinge" boxand with the hingebutt in the door full open position.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 and is taken sub stantially on theline 3--3 of Fig. 9 but is of the lower hinge device with the hinge buttshown in the door full open position.

Fig. 4 is. a detailed view taken on the line 4--4 of Fig; 10 andillustrates'the stabilizing link extending between lower and upper hingedevices and its connection to one of the links which pivotally connectsthe hinge butt to the hinge box.

Fig. 5 is a detailed view with parts broken away and in sectionillustrating the adjustable means for limiting closure of the door.- i

Fig. 6 is a view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1 withparts broken away and in section illustrating many of the details of theupper hinge assembly in the ing many of the details of the lower hingeassembly in the door fully closed position.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 exceptthat certain parts have beenbroken away in a somewhat different manner to further illustrate detailsof the lower hinge assembly in the door full open position.

' Fig. 10 is a view in elevation with parts broken away and in sectiontaken substantially on the line 10--10 of Fig. 6 illustrating thedetails of the connections between the upper and the lower hingeassemblies and in combination with the door assist.

Referring first to Fig. 1 of the drawings, an automotive vehicle 2 isshown which includes a rear right body panel 4 and a-=right front door 6and a rear door 8. The

rear door 8 as indicated by means of the dotted lines shown thereon ishingedly supported on the rear quarter panel 4 by the new hinge assemblyidentified generally by a numeral 10. The hinge assembly 10 includes anupper hinge device 12 and a lower'hinge device 14.

The details of the lower hinge assembly 14 are best illustrated in Figs.3, 8, 9, and 10. Upon reference to those figures, it will be observedthat hinge device 14 in-' cludes a gooseneck hinge butt 16 which issuitably rigidly nut and boltassemblies 18 so as to swing therewith. Theopposite end 20 of hinge butt 16 is pivotally connected (as best seen inFig. 3) by a pin 22 to one end 24 of a bifurcated link 26 which ispivotally connected to the usual hinge box 27 by means of pivot pins 28.Also pivotally connected to the hinge box 27 at one end by means of apin 30 is one end 32 of a control hinge link 34 whose opposite end 36 ispivotally connected at the point 38 to the gooseneck hinge butt 16. Apair of hifurcated hinge cover plates 40 and 42 are also pivotallyconnected between the hinge box 27 and the gooseneck hinge butt 16 atthe points 44 and 46, respectively. The entire lower hinge device as sofar described may be mounted in the recess normally provided in the rearquarter panel 4 and fixed in place in the usual manner by means of thethreaded bolt nut assemblies 48.

Referring now to Figs. 2, 6, and 7, the upper hinge device 12 includes ahinge box having pivotally connected thereto by means of pin 52 abifurcated link 54. The bifurcated end of link 54 has pivotallyconnected between the bifurcations 56 and 58 thereof one end 60 of agooseneck hinge butt 62. The opposite end of link 54 is pivotallyconnected to hinge box 50 by pin 55. The opposite end of hinge butt 62is connected to the upper portion of the rear door 8 by bolt and nutassemblies 64. The upper hinge. assembly 12 is mounted in the recessprovided in the rear. quarter panel 4 and is rigidly held in place bythe bolt assemblies. 66 and 68 which fasten the hinge box to a bulkhead70. It willbe observed that the structure so far described for the upperhinge device will not in and of itself serve to stabilize the movementof the hinge butt 62 either about a fixed center or a movable centermoving along a predetermined path. However, as. best noted in. Figs. 1,4, and 10, the upper and lower hinge devices 12 and 14 are connectedtogether in a manner hereinafter set forth. Upon reference to Fig. 4 itwill be seen that the link 54 of the upper hinge device 12 is providedwith an arm 72. and that the link 26 of the lower hinge device 14 isprovided with a similar arm 74. The arms 72 and 74 have extendingsubstantially vertically therebetween, and rigidly fixed thereto bymeans of studs 76 and 78 a sta-.. bilizing member or bar 80, The bar 80serves as a link between the upper link 54 of the upper hinge device 12and the lower link 26 of the lower hinge device 14 so as to impart inconjunction with the door 8 the same swinging movement of the hinge butt16 to the hinge butt 62.

a It may now be appreciated that the movements of the upper and lowerhinge devices 12 and 14 are interrelated and that the upper hinge deviceis not provided with a control link similar to the control link 34 ofthe lower hinge device. By this unusual hinge assembly the binding whichmight be present when the door hinges include control links in both theupper and lower hinge devices such as is shown in the lower hinge deviceof the present application is efiectively prevented. Furthermore, moreroom is made available in the upper hinge assembly for the presence ofthe door hold open and the spring door assist.

Turning again for a moment to Figs. 6 and 7 it will be seen that theupper hinge device 12 has pivotally con-. nected to the hinge box 50 atthe point 82 an arm or lever 84 which serves as a door hold open. Thearm 84. as viewed in Figs. 6 and 7 is normally biased in acounterclockwise direction by means of a helical coil spring 85 securedat one end thereof and to the hinge box 50 at the point 86. Movement ofthe hold open 84 is limited by a hold open stop comprising a pin 88fixed. to the hinge box. 50*. It will be noted that the hinge butt 62 isprovided with a pin follower 90 which, as the butt 62. swings from theclosed position shown in Fig. 6 to the open position in Fig. 7, movesthrough an intermediatehold open position defined by a recess 92 orshoulder to a full hold open recess 94 where the pin 90 abuts a shoulder96.

To regulate proper closure of the door 8 an adjust- 4 able door closinglimit stop has been provided. This is best seen in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 andcomprises an adjustable screw 98 supported by a bracket 100 fixed to thehinge box 50. The gooseneck 62 is provided with a shoulder 102 whichengages the end of screw 98 upon predetermined closing of door 8 andgooserreck 62. If the door 8 tends to swing too far closed a simpleadjustment of screw 98 will correct such overclosure.

To assist in the opening of the door a torque link 1424 is providedwhich has one end fixed to the hinge box 50 by a bracket and studs 106.(See Figs. 6, 7 and 10.) The torque rod then is bent in the form of acrank and has the opposite end fixed by a bracket and studs 108 to thegooseneck 62. The rod 104 is formed so that it is relatively unstressedwhen the door is in the full open position and is increasingly stressedas the door closes. To cover the opening in the upper hinge cover plate110 which is fixed to the forward face of the rear quarter panel 4 is asplit cover plate assembly comprising a first cover 112 fixed to thegooseneck 62 and a second cover 114 pivotally mounted in the hinge boxpoint 116 and biased against the cover 112 by means of a torsion spring118.

We claim:

A hinge assembly for an enclosure door, comprising a pair of spacedhinge devices each including a hinge butt adapted to be connected to thedoor for swinging bodily therewith and a hinge link pivotally connectedto said butt and adapted to be pivotally connected to said enclosure,one only of said devices including a control link pivotally connected tothe butt associated with the one of said devices and adapted to beconnected to said enclosure to impart certain defined swinging hingemovement to said last-mentioned butt about a movable center, astabilizing link rigidily connected to the hinge links of said spacedhinge devices to impart said same swinging movement to the butt of theother of said hinge devices about said same movable center, the saidother of said devices having combined therewith a torsion bar having anend fixed to the butt of said latter device and a second end adapted tobe anchored to the enclosure to assist in opening the door, and a doorhold-open link adapted to be pivotally connected to said enclosurehaving detent means associated therewith and with the butt of the saidother of said hinge devices to maintain said door in a predeterminedopen position.-

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS865,895 Hewitt Sept. 10, 1907 1,221,779 Wahlberg Apr. 3, 1917 2,707,302Johnson May 3, 1955 2,743,476 Turner May 1, 1956 2,751,625 VigmostadJune 26, 1956

